James Sard is the author of the new novel Far from Longing.
Q: What inspired you to write Far from Longing, and how was the book’s title chosen?
A: There were lots of things already in my head in general that would help form the basis for the story in Far From Longing (FFL), but the moment where I thought, “There must be a good yarn in here somewhere…,” was after seeing a program on PBS about the science of epigenetics.
This idea that our environment and experiences reshape our genome, and those traits can be passed forward several generations sounded like pure science fiction.
And of course, with modern sequencing and gene-splicing CRISPR technology, you wouldn’t have to wait several generations, you’d be able to see the changes in the genome in real time (as published in stories recently about the identical-twin Kelly-brother astronauts) and apply such traits via already established gene therapies.
After seeing the PBS program, which discussed the origins of the modern field derived from the studies in Sweden related to past famines, it really got my brain going along the lines of “OK, if famine can instill longevity, what types of traits would other catastrophic environmental changes create?”
As often is the case with fiction, following that thread to extremes led to the ideas in the book related to procreation, as extinction seemed the most catastrophic of all possible events.
A map denoting the habitats of now-extinct hominids, located in a region somewhat famous for other reasons, is what made the premise suddenly hit me, as now it seemed there might be a scientific/epigenetic reason for all the lore associated with that region.
As the son of a librarian and an engineer, I was probably destined to be fascinated by the intersection of story and science.
An article in Discover magazine back in the 1980s that seemed to provide a scientific explanation of unique winds/tides/underwater topography in the Red Sea, giving some basis to the story of Moses and his parting of the waters, had always stuck with me. FFL is that sort of tale – taking myth and applying science to explain its origins.
The title Far From Longing comes from how the main character must live due to his epigenetic trait, as his experiences when he was young have led him to believe he might harm those he cares for the greatest. He must live as far from longing as possible, so he does not destroy the thing he loves most.
Q: How did you create your characters Kate and Cam, and how would you describe their relationship?
A: Another part of the story genesis for FFL came from the Leona Naess song “Charm Attack,” as that title really hit me, this idea of being attacked by charm.
Cameron is charm personified. He’s basically skating through life on it, fortunate to be a tall, fit, and handsome character who’s funny and makes people feel better about themselves simply by his presence, but he’s living in fear of any true attachment.
A line in the same song, “And I thought he was smart enough to know that the girl on his arm will never calm his storms,” forms a large part of Cam’s character.
Beset by an epigenetic trait, he’s looking for someone to help calm his storms by – like all of us – seeking love and acceptance. Yet that’s not really an option for him. He must be beyond vigilant in terms of his relationships, as he fears any true attachment might lead them to harm.
So his choices in terms of his relationships must be clinical, coming purely from his head rather than his heart. Cam is beloved, yet unable to love.
Unlike the “safe” relationships Cam typically pursues, Kate embodies the true companionship he seeks, an intellectual and emotional peer who is beyond beautiful to him, sadly making her entirely susceptible to his epigenetic trait.
Kate (the “K “is for kindness; Cam’s “C” is for consequence) is rational, well-educated and whip smart, but is truly driven by her heart and empathy. As a reporter, she covers a technical field, but all her best work leverages the human aspect.
Kate is beset by Cam, but has no way to rationalize her feelings towards him, or understand how they could be real given her genuine devotion to her husband.
As to the relationship between Cam and Kate, he is enthralled by her, but must limit their interaction, or dire consequences may result. He hides his feelings towards her in humor and professional camaraderie, while inside his guts are turning because his epigenetic trait is in full swing.
Kate is aware of Cam’s attentions and fascinated by him, as she’s unable to correlate the selfish and promiscuous stories her fellow journalists provide, with his purely gallant behavior towards her and his well-cached but kind nature.
Her lack of guile and an unawareness of what’s happening between them chemically is the gravity pulling them inevitably closer.
Q: How did you research the book, and can you say more about the field of epigenetics?
A: I spent several years researching the book, diving as deep as my journalistic background permitted, particularly into the science of epigenetics, and the relationships of the real-life England-based characters.
Epigenetics is not at all yet well understood, making it ripe for fiction. If every aspect of the science was already well known, it would leave little wiggle room for a fiction writer to move around in the space.
Most simply, epigenetics is a scientific field that deals with changes to the human genome caused by the environment in which an organism lives.
These environmental changes to the genome (through a process labeled “gene expression”) are instilled by the newly discovered epigenetic layer that sits atop the genome (epi is Greek for “on top of”).
This is a titanic shift in genetics, which previously believed that your genome was fixed at birth, and that changes only come about through random mutations over enormous time spans (Darwin’s Natural Selection).
The aspects of epigenetics that are understood (larger environmental changes are required to instill more dramatic genetic shifts; traits only pass only gender lines) as well as other genetic properties (there is no known Neanderthal Y chromosome), form key aspects of the story.
This was to create the most realistic basis for the premise. The best stories hem as closely as possible to what is known, providing that “suspension of disbelief” springboard to help the reader feel like this story could be true, making the fiction more entertaining.
I’m not a scientist nor a geneticist, so distilling the known aspects of epigenetics (via published scientific papers and science articles) into something approachable to the average reader was the trick.
As a trained journalist and an experienced editor/writer/reporter in several technical fields, I felt qualified to cull the most salient parts of my research into an entertaining fiction, but one based on currently understood principals of epigenetics.
For the England-based characters, I researched available biographies, histories of the cities, their architecture and geography, and must give credit to biographer Barbara Belford.
During my research, I had begun to notice this interesting and surprising relationship between three of the well-known personalities of the time, which I thought might help drive the narrative of FFL.
When then trying to learn more about each of these personalities, I discovered that Barbara Belford had written biographies on all three people, convincing me that I must be on the right track in terms of using these characters and their relationship as part of the story.
Like the scientific basis of the book, the England-based aspects attempt to use as much true-to-life material as possible, to give the story the most authentic possible basis.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
A: I would hope readers would take away a sense of wonder in the world we live in, in that there is still so much about ourselves and the way we interact with one another that we don’t understand. That sense of awe in the natural world that can feel like magic, and can help make things we deal with on a daily basis seem less troublesome.
The book deals with some very heavy topics (love vs. lust; fidelity vs. desire; profit vs. morality; entitlement vs. poverty), but hopefully in a way that keeps the overall tone lighthearted and hopeful. I also think parts of the story are quite funny, and hope readers do as well.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am currently working on a sequel to Far From Longing (as I believe there is much to leverage after the universe building of the first novel), and another novel that’s a lighthearted if bittersweet coming of age drama based upon personal experience working on a commercial farm.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I hope readers genuinely enjoy Far From Longing as the entertaining fiction it was intended to be, and that it somehow brightens their day.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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